Helman Groughs
Helman Groughs was the first Council Premier of the Daravian parliament. He was elected in 192 and served three terms. Early life Helman was born to Armand Groughs in 150 DR. The Groughs family consisted primarily of servants to the Mastbarts of Gahlstaff, and so Helman was expected to follow his father in that line of work. He had no major complaints about it, and was set to become a cupbearer for Marlin Mastbart until he was conscripted into the Great Alarean War in 176. The war ended shortly after Helman's arrival at the front, though, so he ended up seeing no combat; however, Helman was able to meet many peasants who had been drafted in, and discovered the realities of commoner life. Shaken by this, Helman vowed to seek to improve the lives of peasants, although he was not sure how. Mastbart servitude As Marlin's cupbearer, Helman made a point of earning his trust and becoming a close advisor to him. From there, Helman gradually convinced Marlin to improve peasants' quality of life with various measures, although the centralization of power under Steppen II made it difficult. In 188, Marlin decided to join one of the rebellions against Steppen, and Helman followed suit. Marlin was murdered in 190, in the last weeks of Steppen's reign; Helman decided to flee to Castleton at this time, fearing he would get killed by Steppenist forces. However, by the time Helman reached the city, Steppen himself had been slain and Gerald Emrestrun was king. Parliament When Gerald II announced the formation of a parliament, Helman was eager to apply, seeing the opportunity to provide the peasantry with a better standard of living. Helman was granted a position as one of the four councilmen of Gahlstaff, and when the elections for Council Premier were held that autumn, Helman campaigned for that as well. In the end, Helman won a narrow victory, and on 14 Glacagras 192 he was sworn in as the first Council Premier in Daravian history. For the duration of his five-year term, Helman sought to achieve his goals of helping the commoners by passing measures such as limiting the offenses for which the death penalty could be used. When election season came around again in 197, Helman based his campaign around continuing the success the parliament had had under him, and so he won a second term. Helman continued trying to push his agenda, but due to the success of his first term he had fewer provisions available to him. Thus, he was less well regarded during that term; however, he still succeeded in being elected for a third term after Gerald II publicly commended him in 202. Helman's health began faltering in the middle of his third term, during which time he was personally involved in very little legislation. Although Helman was eligible for a fourth term, it was unlikely that he would be elected; thus Helman dropped out of the race in 207 and retired to Gahlstaff. He died the following year of a fever. Personal life Helman grew up close to the Varrance family, a vassal of the Mastbarts, and so, a few years after his return from the Great Alarean War, he proposed to Ellen Varrance. They had their first child, a daughter named Anita, in 181, and then a son named Herbert in 185. Category:Daravians Category:Elected Officials Category:Parliament Heads